Woman jumps into Osun river

A woman who identified herself as Kafayat Alake on Wednesday attempted to commit suicide as she jumped into Osun river from the Gbodofon bridge in Osun state.

The incident occurred at the time that roads were empty due to the lockdown imposed by the state government as part of measures to prevent the further spread of Coronavirus in the state with 14 confirmed cases.

Some of the residents of Gbodofon area who were in their homes sighted the woman when she was loitering around the bridge and eventually jumped into the river.

Daily Trust gathered that some residents of the area raised the alarm which drew the attention of a man simply identified as David Johnson who dived into the river and brought her out alive.

The residents called the officials of the Osun State Fire Service and they arrived at the scene on time and took her to hospital.

Speaking on the incident, David said, “We were somewhere around that place when the woman’s body dropped from the bridge. At first, we thought she was either pushed or fell over by mistake.

“I was later told that she deliberately jumped into the river to kill herself. People started calling for help. That prompted me to dive in and rescued her.”

After escaping the death, the woman was seen sitting down at the river bank looking dejected.

Alake told Daily Trust that she hails from Alapaaro’s compound in Isale Osun, Osogbo adding that she has three children.

She said her decision to commit suicide was because she does not have food to eat and feed her children and became frustrated due to her financial predicament.

According to her, “Things are very hard. I have three children and I couldn’t cater for them due to my financial predicament. My husband stays in Lagos. We have separated about thirteen years ago.”

When contacted, the Police spokesperson in the state, Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident.

“It was an attempted suicide. She jumped into Osun river. She was rescued. She has been taken to the hospital for treatment. She is suspected to be of unsound mind,” the PPRO said.